Week 3 Waiver Wire: Reviewing Top Pickups and Drops Likely Available

In a week that saw the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders, the Washington Redskins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets—teams that went a combined 16-64 last season—pick up wins, you can bet there were some unexpected fantasy football performances warranting a closer look heading into Week 3.

Not only did football fans see unexpectedly great stat lines from the likes of Cleveland Browns wideout Travis Benjamin and Redskins running back Matt Jones, but a number of big-name players went down with injuries as well.

Everyone is going to be scrambling to patch holes in their fantasy lineups this week as well as scouring waiver wires for the trendy performers to start the season. Let's check out what the masses are up to in this week's look at top drops and pickups. 

Here are the top adds and drops following Week 2's slate. All ownership percentages are based on Yahoo Sports (login required) and ESPN fantasy football leagues. These lists exclude players owned in more than 50 percent of fantasy football leagues to account for the larger 12- and 14-owner leagues except in the drops category in the case of notable changes in performance or playing time, not injury.

Top ESPN Additions
Top Yahoo Additions
Player	% Owned	% Change
Titans D/ST	26.0	+23.9
Dion Lewis, RB, New England	40.4	+23.3
Brandon Coleman, WR, New Orleans	37.5	+20.7
Ladarius Green, TE, San Diego	25.9	+19.2
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas	23.4	+16.2
Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo	22.1	+14.9
Tavon Austin, WR, St. Louis	17.9	+13.2
Jordan Reed, TE, Washington	44.8	+12.5
Lance Dunbar, RB, Dallas	14.9	+11.4
Benny Cunningham, RB, St. Louis	26.7	+11.4
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Drops
James Starks, RB, Green Bay	12	36,537
Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland	14	24,457
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore	4	18,764
Dion Lewis, RB, New England	35	18.270
Matt Jones, RB, Washington	23	14,935
Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland	23	12,805
David Johnson, RB, Arizona	35	12,112
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo	15	11,445
Rishard Matthews, WR, Miami	2	10,925
Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit	16	9,378

Top ESPN Drops
Top Yahoo Drops
Player	% Owned	% Changed
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina	47.7	-20.3
Cody Latimer, WR, Denver	30.5	-18
Andre Williams, RB, New York Giants	41.0	-15.2
Reggie Bush, RB, San Francisco	28.7	-14.1
Christine Michael, RB, Dallas	14.4	-12.6
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami	47.7	-12.4
Charles Sims, RB, Tampa Bay	-41.7	-11.9
Eddie Royal, WR, Chicago	47.7	-11.7
Josh Hill, TE, New Orleans	13.5	-11.1
Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville	29.1	-10.7
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Drops
Alfred Blue, RB, Houston	39	8,836
Joique Bell, RB, Detroit	62	7,298
Benny Cunningham, RB, St. Louis	22	6,203
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Pittsburgh	55	6,065
Chris Johnson, RB, Arizona	47	5,767
Rueben Randle, WR, New York Giants	36	5,591
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago	40	5,447
Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis	48	5,438
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas	22	4,828
Brandon Coleman, WR, New Orleans	42	4,500

Worth a Pickup

Matt Jones, RB, Washington Redskins

You better hope you're at or near the top of your league's waiver-wire priority this week.

He has an unassuming name but a bona-fide rushing game. Matt Jones made Alfred Morris fantasy owners nervous in the 'Skins 24-10 win over the St. Louis Rams, carrying the ball 19 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns while adding three receptions for another 23 yards. 

ESPN's Matthew Berry is high on Jones' potential in this offense:

With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, the Redskins should be a running team in the weeks to come. They've already fared well on the ground against the Rams and the Miami Dolphins, two teams that sport dominating defensive tackles in Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, respectively, and expect to control the run. 

Morris will get his touches as the veteran back, but the rookie out of Florida has earned some significant touches with his breakout performance. The next opportunity could be a tough one, as the New York Giants have allowed just 3.0 yards per carry, per ESPN.com.

That said, the Giants haven't been lighting up the scoreboard in their first two games, so Washington should be able to commit to the ground game in a winnable matchup for this surprisingly competitive team. 

Ladarius Green, TE, San Diego and Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Antonio Gates has two games left to serve on his suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, making Ladarius Green worth a look if you're looking for a tight end pickup in Week 3. He's been a consistent target of Philip Rivers over the course of the first two weeks:

Date, Opponent	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	TGTS
9/13, Detroit	5	74	14.8	1	6
9/20, Cincinnati	5	47	9.4	0	6

The 25-year-old is a massive target at 6'6" and has flashed promise for years but is now getting the chance to see plenty of snaps on a week-to-week basis.

With Keenan Allen's production proving to be ludicrously volatile and an aging Malcom Floyd seeing few balls thrown his way after two weeks, expect Rivers to keep going back to Green and wideout Stevie Johnson against the vulnerable Minnesota Vikings. Green is a safe starting option in Week 3.

If you're looking for a tight end to keep around a bit longer but aren't yet ready to hand him a starting role, the Baltimore Ravens' Crockett Gillmore—with a name perfect for your next hard-boiled detective novel—might be the tight end to grab. Yahoo Sports' Andy Behrens will tell you why:

"

The first thing you need to know about Gillmore is that he is a gigantic human (6-foot-6, 270). He has the sort of uncommon size that allows him to do stuff like this, carrying multiple defenders as if they were so many cleaner fish. Gillmore snagged five balls for 88 yards on six targets in Week 2, breaking the plane twice. He may have just emerged as Joe Flacco's No. 2 option, behind Steve Smith. Gillmore isn't necessarily a finished product as a receiver, but he's a HUGE product. He scored two more touchdowns on Sunday than your fantasy team's tight end, in all likelihood.

"

And the NFL on Twitter can show you: 

It will be tempting to plug in Gillmore right away, but Joe Flacco has been all over the place through the team's first two games, abysmal against the Denver Broncos and great against the Raiders. Remember, Oakland's defense makes lots of players look good. If desperation is what ails you, go ahead and put him in the lineup. Just know it might be better to give him another week, lest he turn out to be this season's Larry Donnell.

Drop Them Like It's...Hot

Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

Alfred Blue has been a major source of fantasy blues for a fair amount of owners. He's carried the ball just 14 times for 48 yards in two games while making little impact in the passing game. There was hope for him yet as a featured back with Arian Foster sidelined, but Blue hasn't produced, and he gave way to Chris Polk in the second half of the Houston Texans' Week 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers. 

Sports Radio 610's Sean Pendergast derided Blue's tentative play: 

Foster's return may not be far off, per the Associated Press (h/t KHOU.com):

"

The quarterback switch to Ryan Mallett didn't keep the Houston Texans from starting 0-2. They're hoping Arian Foster's eventual return reverses their fortunes.

Coach Bill O'Brien didn't rule out the star running back returning to the lineup this week. O'Brien said Monday that Foster (groin) is listed day to day ahead of the Texans' Week 3 home date against Tampa Bay.

"

His return to the gridiron would all but kill Blue's quickly fading fantasy value. If you need to clear space for one of these exciting running backs such as Jones, the Green Bay Packers' James Starks or the New England Patriots' Dion Lewis, it could be time to cut Blue from the roster.

Andre Williams, RB, New York Giants

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Running back corps can make things tough on fantasy owners. It's difficult to predict exactly how and when each back will get his touches—a guessing game made all the more difficult when the offense isn't looking healthy.

If you're looking to clear space on your roster, parting ways with Andre Williams might not be the worst idea. Rashad Jennings has struggled but picked up 22 carries to Williams' 12 this season. Jennings also got the call at the 1-yard line in Week 1 against Dallas, picking up the team's only rushing touchdown of the season to date. 

In two games, Williams has 57 yards on 12 carries for a seemingly robust 4.8 average—better than Jennings' plodding 2.9 yards per tote—but 35 of those yards came on a single run against the Atlanta Falcons. Outside of that, his output has been bubkes, and the fact that he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last season doesn't mean he has a strong resume to rely on. 

Shane Vereen is also putting a squeeze on Williams' fantasy potential. Vereen has emerged as a great security blanket for Eli Manning on passing downs, racking up 12 receptions for 122 yards on 13 targets, per ESPN.com. He's also received a sprinkling of carries in the rushing game. Williams has yet to catch a pass.

With the big-bodied Jennings receiving the majority of carries and Vereen sucking up all the looks in the passing game, Williams doesn't appear to be a reliable fantasy contributor. He may be worth stashing in the larger 14-player leagues. Beyond that, there are likely better options available.